The Food and Drug Administration in February proposed sweeping changes to nutrition labels for all packaged foods and beverages. Because the proposed rules will require label changes for virtually all dairy products, IDFA has requested a 90-day extension to the comment period that would push the deadline for providing analysis and feedback to August 30, 2014.

“We expect that this extension would improve the food industry’s participation in the rulemaking process and, in turn, would enhance FDA’s ability to finalize the proposed rules efficiently and in a manner that achieves the desired public health objectives while avoiding unnecessary economic impact,” IDFA said in a letter to FDA.

Member Calls to Gather Input

IDFA will prepare extensive comments to address all dairy company concerns and invites members to participate next week in conference calls. There will be four separate calls, one each for milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream processors.

  • Milk: Wednesday, May 7, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Eastern time.
  • Ice Cream: Wednesday, May 7, 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. Eastern time.
  • Cheese: Thursday, May 8, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Eastern time.
  • Yogurt: Friday, May 9, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Eastern time.

To participate, contact Brian Fields, IDFA regulatory assistant, at bfields@idfa.org to request a phone number and participant code.

Members who are unable to participate may send their concerns and comments to Michelle Matto, IDFA nutrition and labeling consultant, at amfoodnutrition@gmail.com or Cary Frye, IDFA vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs, at cfrye@idfa.org.

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